Snapshot
by LLFOREVER
Summary: One second can change everything. In this case, it’s more like one point three seconds. [AU]
1. Prologue

**Snapshot**

Summary: One second can change everything. In this case, it's more like one point three seconds. AU

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine if you know them from Heartland, but the story itself is mine. Yes, I'm claiming creative license on it.

Distribution: Write your own story. Please do not post this anywhere.

A/N: Read and review. Thanks!

--

"_There is something about jumping a horse over a fence, something that makes you feel good._

_Perhaps it's the risk, the gamble."_

--

One point three seconds. In her mind, she scoffs at the number. She doesn't really remember, doesn't really know how long it was when she heard the blare of a horn before the twist of metal.

_Marion Fleming purses her lips as she glances at her younger daughter and then back at the road. The rain hisses as it hits the pavement, and the sky looks almost black, with the exception of the streaks of lightning._

"_Amy, can we talk about it? Please." A note of desperation fills her voice. "Amalia, you need to get your grades up. You're already qualified for the Youth World show, and you're ready for Nationals. You're pushing yourself and your horse too hard." At that, Amy looks up and frowns._

"_Everything would be fine if you would get off my back about school. It's not like I'm failing." Amy bites her lip and leans into the door. She lowers the window slightly and lets the rain sprinkle across her face. _

_The smell of the crisp fall air barely registers before she sees the lights and hears the horn._

Maybe it was more than one point three seconds. Maybe it was less. The number doesn't matter now, now that her mother is dead.

--

The cards all say the same thing. Amy wants to rip them up and throw them away, but Lou insists on sending notes to everyone who sent them flowers and cards and food.

"_She's not flying with the damn angels, Lou! She's dead. Do you get that? Mom's gone, and all you care about is sending people thank you notes."_

"_Amy, I'm just trying to-"_

"_Well, stop! Stop trying! You can't fix this!"_

She remembers how the tears started spilling out of Lou's blue eyes. Lou's tears are like a dagger in her own chest. Amy knows that she's not devoid of feeling, but she feels numb inside. Not for the first time, she wonders if she has forgotten how to cry.

--

The funeral service is simple and short. Family friends join them for lunch after, but Amy wants nothing to do with it. People continue to come up to her and tell her how wonderful her mother was, but she wants to scream at them to shut up. Instead, she retreats to the barn and sits with Storm.

"_Come back in the house. I'm tired of fighting with you. You need to say goodbye before Grandpa leaves." Amy shakes her head stubbornly._

"_I need to be with Storm right now."_

"_Amalia Fleming, the damn horse will wait! If Dad has it his way, he'll be gone soon anyway!" Lou's scream fills the air, and her cheeks tinge with color as people glance at them. _

_Amy stares at Lou, momentarily paralyzed. Words fill her mouth, but she can barely form a coherent sentence._

"_I hate you."_

Amy leans back against Storm's stall, replaying the scene in her head. The barn's familiar scent used to be calming, but now it only reminds her of that night.

And the tears begin to fall.

--

The scent of manure hits her nose first, as her eyes try to focus in the half light. A shadow falls over the chair, but Amy can only make out the silhouette of a guy.

"I'm sorry to wake you… I just, uh, your sister sent me out to look at the horses." Briefly, she looks him over. His green eyes stand out against his dark shirt and jeans. She almost laughs to herself, noting that he could have walked out of a horse catalogue, but he still seems at ease in their old barn.

Amy freezes when he says his name. He holds out his hand, but Amy stares at it blankly.

"It was your family. You and your brother were in the moving van, and your parents were following. You were in the truck that killed my mom." He steps back, but their eyes meet and lock. "If you hadn't moved here, she would still be alive. You should leave. Why are you here anyway?" He hesitates to speak and runs his fingers through his hair first.

"Your dad and I have worked out a deal for Storm. Look, I'm… I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

"No, you're not. You're not sorry at all. And now you're taking the one thing I have left," Amy snarls, pausing before she continues, "Ty."

--

A/N: The end. Just kidding. Review please – reviews are lovely. Let me know what you think.


	2. Without Reason

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine if you know them from Heartland, but the story itself is mine. Yes, I'm claiming creative license on it. Eek! I forgot to give credit for the quote in the prologue. It's William Faulkner.  
Distribution: Write your own story. Please do not post this anywhere.  
A/N: Thanks for the reviews on the prologue! I've never written Heartland fan fiction before, so we'll see where this goes, but I think it will be fun. I'm so sorry that I took this long. Steph, this is for you.

* * *

"_There is something about jumping a horse over a fence, something that makes you feel good.  
Perhaps it's the risk, the gamble." –William Faulkner_  
--  
Chapter 1 – Without Reason

Ty shifts uncomfortably, trying to remember why he agreed to buy Storm. After all, they do live in horse country now.

_"Jesus, Dad, I mean... no. I can't... no. Dad, I'll be a living reminder of what happened. It doesn't matter anymore. We'll find another horse," Ty mumbles. He runs a hand through his hair and sighs in frustration. _

_"Tyler Baldwin, I know you've been wanting this horse since you saw him last year at Capital Challenge. Look, I'm sure we could find a comparable hunter, but Tyler, this is the jumper that you've been looking for. We're not passing this opportunity up, not when the girl's father is saying yes and offering a price that's more than reasonable."_

_"Amy."_

_"What?"_

_"The girl, her name is Amy. Dad, I looked up their place online. Her parents were divorced - she doesn't even know her father, and I doubt that she really wants to sell her horse." , Ty closes his eyes and tries to forget the photograph on the web site of Amy, her mom, and two beautiful greys. "Dad, there are other horses."_

_"No. You go, now, and seal the deal. Take the small trailer." Ty shakes his head and refuses to meet his father's eyes. If he does go through with this, there's no way he can buy the horse and take it away._

_"I'll go talk to the people, okay? But if we buy this horse, he's staying there. I'm going to see if I can work out a deal, maybe help out or something," Ty says. Finally, he looks up and sees the confusion staring back. "I know you don't understand that, but I have to. If you really expect me to get this horse, I'm going to keep him there at their place, at Heartland." _

As he looks around the main barn, he thinks their pictures online don't really do it justice. The lush paddocks are filled with horses, young and old, that seem to be thoroughly enjoying the spring morning. The expertly-manicured grass makes it seem like a classy, new money establishment, but as Ty looks around the barn, he's pretty sure it's anything but that. He likes the comfortable, down-to-earth feel of the classic stalls, with the occasional tack trunk outside the door. He laughs to himself as he envisions his old stables, with their tiled stones and polished wood. If only the guys back in Scottsdale could see him now…

"What could possibly be funny? You can't be that heartless to be laughing about the fact that you're taking my horse, can you?" Ty blinks twice and stares back at Amy. Her long brown hair frames her face beautifully. Her eyes are missing the brilliant shine from the picture, but they're pretty all the same. He thinks that she's probably the kind of girl that he would go for, save for the fact that she clearly hates him. "Cat got your tongue, rich boy?"

Ty shakes his head, letting his hair fall in his face, and Amy stiffens as she realizes that she wants to reach up and shove it back. He seems like a nice person, and Amy Fleming doesn't fall for nice people. Especially ones who are taking her horse.  
--  
"Amy, let me in. Come on, Ames, open up the door. I want to talk to you," Lou calls. Amy rolls over on her bed and wipes away another tear. She doesn't want to talk, not to Lou, not to anyone. Least of all _him_.

"_Amy, I'm not going to take him away. I'll keep him here at Heartland."_

"_I don't care. He's my horse. I was here the night he was born, I trained him, and I took care of him when he was sick. I won't let you have him."_

"_Amy-"_

"_No! Don't you get it? My mom is dead. Gone. No longer living. And here you are, with your damn happy family. You have a mom and a dad and a brother." Amy paused as tears rolled down her cheeks. She stood up and entered Storm's stall, burying her face in his neck. "He's my horse. He's been through everything with me. You can't just take him. He doesn't know you, and I bet you don't know anything about horses. Most of the people who come here for horses think they're going to get some push-button pony that they can win lots of ribbons with. That's not what Heartland is about. Did my dad tell you that Storm's mother died when he was only a few days old? That I bottle fed him? He needs someone who will listen to him. He needs me. And I need him."_

"Amy, come on," Lou pleads. Amy tries to ignore the tears in Lou's voice and breathes a sigh of relief when she hears Lou walk away from the door. However, her relief is washed away when she hears another voice, the deep voice of someone who clearly isn't Lou.

"Amy, can we talk about this please?" Jumping up, Amy grabs something to hurl at the voice behind the door. She flings open the door and raises the paddock brush, but just as quickly, he grabs her arm gently.

"If I'm going to be over here during most of my waking hours, I'd like to not have to worry about ducking every time I see you," Ty says, smirking slightly. "Let's talk."

"You want to talk? You really want to talk about this? Did you not hear a word I said?" Ty shrugs and enters her room slowly. He sits down at her desk chair and looks around at the countless ribbons and trophies.

"I heard. Amy, I don't want to do this anymore than you do." Amy sits on her bed and shakes her head, trying to avoid the tears from rolling down her cheeks. "But Amy, I understand."

"No," she whispers. "You don't. It was seconds. One second I had my mother, my mother who had taught me everything I know, and the next, she was gone. I'll never get to talk to her again, and the last thing I said…

"I yelled at her. She was trying to help me, and I yelled at her. What kind of person does that?" Slowly, Ty gets up and sits beside Amy.

"The kind of person who can't predict the future. Amy, you didn't know that would be the last thing. You never do." Amy nods and then pulls her pillow up, hugging it tightly.

"I'll be down in a little while, and we can… talk," she mumbles, tears spilling from her eyes. Ty reaches out and squeezes her hand. Amy looks up, surprised, but she doesn't pull away. When he does, she almost feels disappointed, but she brushes it off. There is no way that she's disappointed.

"I told my big sister that I hated her. I was ten, and she was thirteen. We had just gotten in a fight about something… something stupid. And then she got on a green horse, and some idiot… she jumped, and he rode right into her path. The horse freaked out, and he fell. Her head hit the wall. She was pronounced brain dead six hours later.

"So yeah. I get it."  
--

Dedication  
Paige Michelle Winters  
_November 28, 1989 – August 27, 2006_  
Flight 5191  
In Our Hearts Forever  
I miss you, Paigey.

--  
A/N: Okay. Um.. stories that deal with death are tough. I'm not sure I liked this chapter, but… oh well. Reviews are lovely. -Kels


End file.
